Ash has released her third single ‘Floating Away’.
The track marks the first release where she is joined by her full band, a seven-piece pop/R&B outfit who formed while studying at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in New York.
Floating Away is a powerful release, written by Ash while recovering from sexual assault last year, speaking of the single Ash said: “I wrote ‘Floating Away to capture the raw emotion of feeling like I was losing myself. I felt myself tearing away from my loved ones and the things that mattered, but I felt helpless. Creating this song with my best friends, and people I love so dearly helped me channel that pain, and bring myself back to someone I recognized.”
To celebrate the single’s release, we caught up with Ash to uncover 5 tracks that influenced ‘Floating Away’.
Radiohead – Paranoid Android | Listen via Spotify
I was, admittedly, a School of Rock kid. Until the age of 15, I had only been playing classical piano, and suddenly, I was introduced to all this loud music and loud people. While this song hasn’t directly influenced how I wrote this single, it was the first song I sang on a stage and I felt so powerful. It was a rush that I have been addicted to ever since. I like to write music that I can dance on stage to, and dance with my audience to. I was so lucky back then to have the teachers and friends I had to push me and started me on this path of growing as a musician, and I hope I never let go of that amazing feeling of being on a stage and connecting with an audience.
Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) | Listen via Spotify
It’s honestly hard to choose just one soul or R&B artist who has inspired my writing, but Stevie has been such a constant throughout my life. He is someone I grew up listening to, was lucky enough to see live, and someone we cover as a band quite often. I really hope to capture what makes artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha or Sharon Jones so special, and give it a modern, pop twist.
Amy Winehouse – Valerie | Listen via Spotify
I have a lot of fond memories of my mum dancing in the kitchen to Amy Winehouse. My mum really introduced me to a lot of the greats that inspire me To mention a few: Macy Gray, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Corinne Bailey Rae, but her favourite has always been ‘Valerie’. Amy’s ability to take such intense pain and turn it into something wonderful – time after time – is so admirable. ‘Floating Away’ was written from a place of pain and hurt, but I hope it’s something that can put a little groove in your step. For me, it’s therapeutic to take pain and turn it into something I can love and share and dance to.
Sound and Color – Alabama Shakes | Listen via Spotify
As a producer and engineer, this song (actually the entire album) really changed how I approach creating, and it was one of the pieces of music that really inspired me to become an engineer. There is such attention to detail in Shawn Everett’s miking technique and arrangement decisions. Everett’s creativity during the recording process really pushes me to look at how I record and mix in a different light. Sometimes it’s hard to separate my artist brain from my producer brain, which is why I’m so fortunate to work with my co-producer, Todd Siesel. Besides from being a great producer, he really helps when I’m ‘too in my head’.
Lawrence – Do You Wanna Do Nothing With Me? | Listen via Spotify
Lawrence was my first introduction to the genre I would ultimately fall in love with and start writing in. The clash of soul, funk and pop has really inspired my sound and brought so many influential bands into my life (Melt, The Dip, Kat Wright). I am always working to improve my arranging skills to emulate some of their amazing horn sections. We also both share a dancing horn section, which is always a crowd-pleaser!
Stream Ash’s new single ‘Floating Away’ via Spotify below: